Joe Swash is set to break down in tears during a deeply moving episode of Who Do You Think You Are? after reading a letter written by his great-great-grandfather — a man he had believed was unable to read or write.
The former EastEnders star, 44, will take an emotional journey into his family’s past in the latest episode of the BBC genealogy series, tracing his roots from London to Italy.
At the beginning of the episode, Joe sits down with his mother Kiffy to discuss what she remembers about their family history. He learns more about his great-grandfather Charlie Swash, who married his great-grandmother Maria, whose family came from Italy.
As experts help Joe trace the family story, he discovers a census record showing their address in Clerkenwell, London. The document suggests that Maria’s father, Giuseppe, was illiterate because he signed with a cross instead of writing his name.
Joe is told this was not unusual at the time, especially among Italian migrants living in the area.
But the story soon takes a powerful turn.
Joe later learns that Giuseppe came to London in 1894 and worked as a street performer before later becoming a factory worker and then a piano tuner. His journey is described as an “immigrant success story.”
Even more surprising, Giuseppe’s name later appeared in a newspaper alongside suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst, linked to a Communist Workers Movement meeting campaigning for workers’ rights and against Mussolini’s dictatorship in Italy.
When Joe asks for more details, he discovers that Giuseppe could, in fact, read and write.
He is then shown a letter written by Giuseppe as part of a newspaper article about world peace.
Reading the words aloud, Joe becomes overwhelmed with emotion.
“If we desire peace, we must organise against this brutal system, we must abolish the greed of gain, and unite in serving our neighbours,” Joe reads.
“When we do that, armies will no longer exist and there shall be no blood shed. Joy and happiness shall be supreme and humanity will be flowers of spring.”
Struggling to hold back tears, Joe admits he is more emotional than he expected.
“I think it’s beautiful,” he says. “There’s something quite touching about reading something like that. It’s beautiful, it really is, and I thought my great-great-grandad was illiterate because he signed everything with a cross… He wasn’t stupid.”
Wiping away tears, Joe says he feels proud to have Giuseppe in his family line.
“He was a good guy,” Joe says. “It’s just nice to know that I’ve got a little bit of him in my DNA.”
He continues: “I’m just so proud and honoured to have him as one of my ancestors. This is a man that’s come over from Italy with nothing, starting at the very bottom.”
Joe adds that despite the hardships Giuseppe faced, he still had the courage to speak his mind — even when doing so may have put him in danger.
“I started this journey thinking, ‘What is my story going to be? Have I got a story?’” Joe says. “Not in a million years would I have thought that I would have been related to such a legend.”
The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? will feature several famous faces making emotional discoveries about their ancestry.
Toby Jones, known for Mr Bates vs The Post Office, will make an astonishing discovery about his lineage in north India.
Broadcaster Zoe Ball, 55, will uncover a family tragedy connected to her roots in Cornwall.
Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden, 35, will also be followed by BBC cameras as she discovers a murder in her family history, alongside another story that reportedly hits close to her own recent life experiences.
Amy, who has previously revealed she has beaten breast cancer, is expected to explore a story that feels deeply personal.
Her episode will also take her to a farmhouse in West Wales and a valley named after one of her ancestors.
The series, which helps celebrities uncover the hidden stories of their families, will span centuries and take viewers across the UK, Australia, Tasmania, Italy, India, Kenya and the Bahamas.
Olympic heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson will explore her Bahamian family history, including migration to Miami during segregation and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
Doctor Who actress Ruth Madeley is expected to uncover a long-buried secret adoption in her family and use DNA to find a lost relative.
BAFTA-winning actor Adeel Akhtar will trace his Indian-Kenyan roots in Nairobi.
Dame Harriet Walter will reportedly uncover a secret intelligence role held by one of her relatives during the Second World War, as well as a serious scandal involving an Italian ancestor.
A BBC insider said the series “never fails to astonish and surprise,” adding that the hidden histories reveal the “incredible richness and diversity” that make up modern Britain.
Executive producer Colette Flight said viewers will see the celebrities experience astonishment, joy, laughter and tears as they discover how their ancestors shaped their families and identities.
The new series is expected to return to the BBC this spring, with four episodes launching first and another four arriving in the summer after a short break.
The show, which first aired in 2004, has now produced 177 episodes across 20 series — and Joe Swash’s emotional discovery looks set to be one of its most touching moments yet.
Source: Daily Mail — https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
